Ask Gerry Cooney - July 11, 2014

Compiled by Allan Scotto

Hey, fans! Welcome to “Ask Gerry Cooney,” where you get to ask former heavyweight contender “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney any boxing-related question you’d like. Your questions for Gerry’s review will be featured at Maxboxing.com every week.

Each week, Gerry will answer as many of your questions as he can on the Sirius XM radio show “Friday Night at The Fights,” which Gerry co-hosts with Randy “The Commish” Gordon, former Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.

Gerry, my question is; Is it effective for a lighter weight fighter such as Richard Abril or Ivan Calderon to rely on finesse and speed rather then power in the lighter divisions, and do you think either of them has a chance to become a champion?

Our next question comes from Connor M. who asks:

Gerry, after his victory Chris Algeiri is everywhere! He seems to have captured the imagination of many boxing fans and there is now talk of him facing the “Pac Man.” Most folks didn’t think he stood a prayer against Providnikov, yet he proved them all wrong. Do you think he can do the same if he faces Pacquiao?

And Gerry answered the following questions last week:

Our first question came from Tony T., who asked:

Hi, Gerry; last week, Vasyl Lomachenko defeated Gary Russell Jr. in just his third fight to become the WBO featherweight champion. My question is did that fight show how good Lomachenko is or did it show that Russell Jr. is not as good as first thought?

Gerry felt that Lomenchenko showed the tremendous experience he had as an amateur and that he caught Russell a little by surprise, but he also thinks Russell has a lot of promise and that he will learn from his experience.

Our next question came from Paul L., who asked:

Gerry, who do you think Chris Algieri should fight next after his surprising victory over Ruslan Provodnikov? I’ve always heard that when a fighter becomes a champion, he also becomes a much better fighter. Is that true?

Gerry felt that is true and that Algeiri showed tremendous heart getting off the canvas twice and rallying to beat Providnikov. He also feels that the opportunities for Algeiri are endless at this point.